AIDS Project Los Angeles

AIDS Project Los Angeles is dedicated to: improving the lives of people affected by HIV disease; reducing the incidence of HIV infection; and advocating for fair and effective HIV-related public policy.

The Benefits & Work Services Program provides expertise on HIV-related public benefits and insurance issues. Benefits experts at APLA provide guidance on accessing a variety of public health care programs available to people with HIV/AIDS. Work Services counselors provide counseling, direction and advocacy for people living with HIV who are planning for their futures. Staff offers one-on-one career counseling, job placement, counseling for Social Security beneficiaries on returning to work, and referral services to Vocational Rehabilitation.

Case Management Services (including Medical Transportation and Deaf Services) provides individualized support and guidance to people living with HIV/AIDS as they navigate Los Angeles County’s medical, mental health and social services systems. Medical Transportation offers free taxi rides to and from medical appointments and assists with public transportation needs. Deaf Services include a case manager fluent in American Sign Language and a monthly series on topics relevant to the deaf HIV-positive community. Visit APLA’s Deaf/Hard of Hearing Facebook page.

Clientline provides access to staff-trained and supervised interns or volunteers who answer questions and provide information and referrals for services at APLA and throughout Los Angeles.

Community HIV Education Forums, which are free and open to the public, bring experts in HIV/AIDS together to provide updates in English and Spanish on emerging topics in HIV prevention, treatment and care.

The Crystal Methamphetamine Program, funded by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, Office of AIDS Programs and Policy, aims to reduce the risk of HIV infection among gay and bisexual men who use crystal through discussion groups, forums and trainings.

APLA Dental Services offers a full range of dental care from professional staff in a state-of-the-art clinic and through a mobile dental van. APLA Dental Services reach people living in many underserved regions of Los Angeles County.

The Government Affairs Division helps shape policy at the global, federal, state and local levels and educates the public, elected officials and policy makers about the needs of individuals living with HIV/AIDS and the programs, policies and legislation that impact their lives.

HIV L.A. and VIH L.A. are comprehensive printed directories - in English and Spanish, respectively - of HIV/AIDS services across Los Angeles County. HIV L.A. contains more than 1,600 service listings in 31 categories. HIV L.A. is also a fully searchable, bilingual online database at www.hivla.org.

The Home Health Program provides medical and social work case management, including medication management assistance, homemaker services, and in-home counseling. Care is coordinated in the home by a registered nurse and a licensed social worker to help people with AIDS remain independent and avoid costly institutional care.

APLA’s International Programs involve bilateral and multilateral partnerships with several organizations across the globe to aid in the effort to prevent HIV both in Los Angeles and abroad.

The Mpowerment Program reaches young gay, bisexual and questioning men between the ages of 13-24 from across Los Angeles County through twice-weekly group meetings and activities. Through roundtable discussions, community organizing efforts, information sharing, and life-skills development, youth are trained to educate their peers and recruit friends for this HIV prevention program.

The Necessities of Life Program (NOLP) is a food and nutrition program that provides groceries, nutritional supplements and personal hygiene items in nine locations across the county. Each year, NOLP food pantries provide nearly one-quarter of a million free bags of groceries to low-income people living with HIV/AIDS. Nutrition Education offers NOLP clients bilingual monthly fact sheets and recipes, along with nutrition and food safety information, bilingual nutrition screenings and classes with a registered dietitian.

The Peer Support Training Program provides technical assistance to Los Angeles community-based organizations that offer peer support services which complement traditional care services for people living with HIV/AIDS.

The Prevention with Positives Program develops and supports strategies to reduce transmission risk among people living with HIV/AIDS. The program also offers prevention resources to those not infected.

The Program Development & Advancement Program focuses on building capacity within community-based organizations through workshops, trainings and refresher sessions for staff, technical assistance and media production (CDs and Web sites).

APLA Publications and Web Sites include The Scarlet Letters and Corpus, publications of The Institute for Gay Men’s Health designed to stimulate public debate; IMPACTO! Transnacional, a Spanish-language publication of The Institute with news, editorials, up-to-date treatment and prevention information for Latino communities here and abroad; and Optimist, a magazine for APLA friends and donors featuring profiles of APLA programs, staff and volunteers, as well as highlights from fundraising events. APLA’S Web sites include: www.apla.org, a comprehensive online resource for information about HIV/AIDS and APLA programs and services; www.aidshousingla.org, which contains the full range of housing options for people living with HIV/AIDS; www.tweakends.org, which provides a complete look at the risks of crystal meth use; www.mysexycity.com, which allows visitors to make virtual decisions on behalf of a cast of animated characters, while delivering information about HIV, STDs, substance use, coming out, and relationships; the MPowerment program Web site, www.mpowla.org, created by and for young, gay men; and the Red Circle Project Web site, www.redcircleproject.org (see below).

APLA’s Red Circle Project, an outreach program and companion Web site, aims to increase positive social norms about safer sex and early screening for HIV among Native American/Alaskan Native Two-Spirit men who have sex with men.

The Community-Based Research unit seeks to design, implement, monitor and evaluate HIV/AIDS education, prevention and care programs. The Research & Training Programs provide a broad range of evaluation services both to APLA programs and to other community based organizations.

The Residential Services Program helps low-income people living with HIV find and maintain affordable housing through Housing Case Management or the Housing Information Services Clearinghouse (HISC). Housing Case Management addresses the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS who face homelessness, the threat of homelessness or poorly coordinated care for their disease. The program offers rental listings, referrals to outside agencies, application for Section 8 housing and short-term and move-in assistance. APLA also operates Los Angeles County’s HISC for people living with HIV/AIDS and their families.

The Sexual Health Xchange is a new collaborative that brings three of the nation’s oldest and largest AIDS organizations (including APLA) together to raise public awareness about the sexual health needs of all gay men and other men who have sex with men and to expand the range of sexual health education options available to gay men, especially gay men of color.

Shared Action and Shared ActionHD are capacity building assistance (CBA) programs of AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) in collaboration with the Center for HIV Identification Prevention and Treatment Services (CHIPTS) of University California Los Angeles, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Shared Action and Shared ActionHD work to enhance the programmatic capacity of community-based organizations and health departments, respectively, funded directly or indirectly by the CDC to implement Diffusion of Effective Behavioral Interventions (DEBI) or provide other HIV prevention services under the Advancing HIV Prevention Initiative in the United States.

The Treatment Education Program assists clients in developing a personal treatment adherence plan; enrolling in appropriate clinical trials; accessing up-to-date information on HIV disease, related illnesses and treatment options; and talking with their health care providers. The program also offers free educational forums.

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